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Oh it was a terrible fight, the ultimate test for tackle and fisherman... It went like this:
Planned to try the Knolls again this morning with Catcarsen. Carsen could not get the mattress off of his back so I decided to go alone. Glad i did.
Arrived at the Knolls just in time to watch daylight creep over the mountains. Water was a little rough with smallish waves, hung in there hoping it would calm. It did. Water temp was 67 degrees. Fishing was slow compared to my trip there a couple of days ago. Caught a few thick-lips but nothing note worthy. No other fishermen in the area.
Decided to head back to Lincoln and work the reeds and frags along the BS inlet. Fishing was good and I was picking up a few and doing some acrobatic moves to head them away from the reeds. Lost a couple in the reeds and was getting ready to call it a day when I got the bite of the day. The fish took me in and out of the reeds, half way back to the launch point and then back to the slough shallows. I knew the fish was big and had no doubt that it was the 36 inch cat I have been chasing for years. My drag buzzed. A carp jumped. Time passed.
I had visions of losing him at the boat and started to plot some lies and excuses for losing the biggest cat of my life. My arms ached. My Ugly Stik was bent in a full circle.
Finally got a quick glimpse of his back... wrong color! Decided it was a nice walleye so all was not lost. Got him to the net and realized what I had caught... a 38 inch Northern... on a chunk of white bass.
Struggled a bit to decide if I was disappointed or not... it wasn't the cat I was looking for but still a nice fish.
I took him in to the DWR guys as required by law and they were glad to get him. They briefly considered putting a tracker in the fish and releasing it to see where it was spawning. It appeared to be a spawned out female so they used the fish to examine stomach contents and other sundry tests.
I met Chris Crockett and three other DWR workers. Very informative and friendly folks. They gave me a nice flash light for helping the cause to remove the invasive critters. Also might even get a few lures sent my way. I appreciate their efforts and it was good to talk to them.
So, that's my story; 38 inches of the wrong fish. The search for the 36 inch catfish continues.
BLK
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good catch, congrats. did they let you keep the meat.
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O.C.F.D.
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Wow, that is a great story and a great fish. I'm sorry it wasn't the big cat, but I'm glad you are the one that got to remove it from the lake and have all that fun!
P.S. Don't those things stink[  ]
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Maybe she dont fix up in the fryer the same way, but I would sure have a  on my face tieing into that water wolf.
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Mike -- They offered to let me have the fish after they examined the stomach contents. I declined and they assured me it would not be wasted because they had other tests they could do with the body.
Jim -- Didn't notice an odor about the fish; pretty sure my odor would have overpowered it anyway.
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thats to bad they are pretty good eating after you get the Y bone out, oh ya it about time you get something over 30[cool]
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Way to go Lynn! Get those toothy critters out of our favorite fishing pond.
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I think I'd be thrilled at some variety if I was as successful with the cats as your reports indicate you to be.
Congrats on the nice bycatch.
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That’s awesome. I am glad it was you. I am curious at what point did you realize what you had on and were you worried about the line getting cut by the teeth? About 15 years ago in Colorado I was fishing and hooked one that was about 30”. I was in a float tube so after a lot of thought and knowing full well that all I would have was just a “story” I reach over and cut the line. He kept my 3 inch Crocodile as lip decoration and got to keep my fingers and all the air in my tube.
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Way to go Lynn!! Maybe that's why I have lost a few lures and terminal tackle the past couple years. Have had several big hard hits while trolling on my way to BI, and have come up with just the cut end of my leader.
Nice fish, great story, had me a bit worried at first when I saw the subject line of your post. Thought Uh-oh, 38 inch Cat, that would not only shatter the contest standings but break the Utah State record by about 2 inches.
[fishin]
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"OCD = Obsessive Catfish Disorder "
Or so it says on my license plate holder
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[#0000FF]Wunnerful. A new first...for you and for the fish.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]I have caught a couple of smaller northerns from Utah Lake...and some larger ones at Yuba a few years ago. Good battlers and good eats too.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]I have never had a biteoff at Utah Lake. But I have had a couple of big chomps that resulted in bringing back in only a partial white bass that started out as a whole one. And, while walleyes have teeth they are not the super sharp slashing teeth of northerns.[/#0000FF]
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ya know, I think I saw that fish before I hooked him. I was in about 2 fow when I stood up to make a cast. I saw what I thought was a really big carp or maybe two carp about 15 ft. from my boat. It was stationary, not moving or cruising like the carp usually so. I think he was sitting there watching me (stalking me, yikes!) while I was casting.
He made a good showing of himself. I had no doubt that I had a monster cat on. He made several runs toward the reeds and I had to really bear down on him to turn him but my 30# braid held. He made two runs under my boat -- in two feet of water -- and I was sure his intent was to throw a couple of loops around my Minn Kota shaft. I really put a bow in my Ugly Stik, almost a complete circle.
He made a couple of runs to deeper water where I could keep pressure on and let the drag work. It was not until I worked him back toward my boat that I got a glimpse of his back and could see that it was not the cat I was looking for. My next guess was a nice big walleye until I got him close enough to use my net.
I was surprised that he did not clip my line. I know those critters are known for their sharp teeth. The hook appeared to have been swallowed and my line ran out the corner of his mouth, maybe that is why he didn't cut me off. I cut my line and did not make a search for my hook.
The DWR guys were at Lincoln doing some work and they were glad to get the beast out of the lake so they could do the stomach analysis and other tests on him. It was good to meet Chris Crockett and the other DWR workers. They really want those toothy critters out of the lake.
So, the chase continues. Eventually I will hook up with that big cat. My battle with the northern was a good training session and a lot of fun.
Lynn aka BLK
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Congrats on catching a fine fish. Hard to be too disappointed after catching such a nice specimen.
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Great story and a great fish! Sounds like fun no matter what species it turns out to be. In the end, you don't have the opportunity to do battle with fish of that size very often. I'm a little jealous...never have caught a northern myself. Good job!
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You know if it wasn’t for the June suckers the DWR probably wouldn’t care about the Northern Pike. They are probably the only thing in the lake that can really put the hurt on the carp.
Anyway congrats on the very nice fish!
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thats a nice northern!! definitely been in the lake a while! ive seen pictures of northerns in utah lake form the early 80s so they've been in there for years for sure, thats the biggest one ive seen though! to bad theres not more of them! they're a great fish to catch and a great fish to lower white bass numbers so they'll get to larger size!
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[#0000FF]Hey. I got this from Chris Crockett.[/#0000FF]
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Pat, for once I think an angler underestimated the size of the fish. My tape showed Lynn's pike to be just a hair over 39 inches.
Chris Crockett
Central Region Aquatics Manager
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
1115 North Main Street
Springville, UT 84663
(801) 491-5655
[url "mailto:chriscrockett@utah.gov"]chriscrockett@utah.gov[/url]
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[#0000FF]I told him it was you overcompensating for over estimating all the catfish you report. Nice fish. Now I suppose you are going for a 40 incher.
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Ya hoooo that beats a catfish any old day, but got to admit you had me nervous with the title... I was going to say over achiever.... but instead I'll say congratulations that's an impressive catch.... Didn't want to mount it on the wall i guess? Seems like a good one for Utah... Congrats... Jeff
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Pat -- Nope, I'm still after that 36 inch catfish. That northern gets a little bigger every day. I knew he was a good 38 inches but I'll go with Chris's expert measurement of 39+ inches. I sure wish he would have had whiskers but still, a real rod-bender to catch. If it had been a catfish I could have told you the exact length to within a 32nd of an inch.
Jeff, never considered putting him on the wall. I was glad to donate him to science or pike removal, or whatever they do with illegal alien fish. He was not wasted.
I know there is a 36 inch catfish out there and someday....
Lynn
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[#0000FF]And just to forestall any potential misunderstandings, two 18" fish lined up together do not equal one 36" fish. Just sayin'.
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[#0000FF]All in fun. Ya know I am rootin' fer ya to bring in that biggun. You earned it. And it couldn't happen to a greater guy. Any yard-long kitty should be proud to be a part of your goal achievement.
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